Public Transport - Railway Transport
Funding
The Department provides capital grant to Translink for Northern Ireland Railways to operate rail services. The funding helps maintain and develop the rail infrastructure, which includes track, stations, bridges, level crossings etc, and rolling stock, which includes trains, equipment and associated plant machinery.
This investment allows rail services to operate safely and efficiently and helps make public transport an attractive alternative to private transport.
Public Transport Performance Division approves and monitors the Capital Grant allocated to Translink ensuring that projects demonstrate value for taxpayer's money and expenditure falls within budgetary limits.
Between 2004 and 2005 Northern Ireland Railways took delivery of 23 new trains built by Spanish train manufacturers Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarrilles S A (CAF). The first train entered into passenger service in November 2004 and all of the trains have been operating since 2005. This project involved investment of some £83m and has provided speedier, more reliable and more comfortable rail services on the railway network here.
On 25 March 2009 Minister Conor Murphy signed a £105m contract along with Translink and the Spanish company CAF to purchase a further 20 new trains for deployment on the NIR network. Of these, 13 will replace the old stock still operating on the network and 7 will be used to facilitate increases in frequency and capacity in the greater Belfast area and on the Belfast to Derry line. The first of the 20 new trains is scheduled to be delivered in 2011 and introduced to passenger service by the end of that year. The final set will be in service by 2013. This contact is a key element of the current Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland and the Regional Transportation Strategy.
A Position Report
(1.7MB) on the Current Investment needs of Northern Ireland Railways was produced by the Railways Review Group (RRG) and issued on 19 May 2004.
This paper was a means of gathering views from all those interested in the extent to which there should be investment in our railway network. The consultation closed on 23 July 2004 and the views gathered informed the decision making process in the 2004 Spending Review. The budget announcement on 20 December 2004 made provision for the development of the core part of the Northern Ireland network in line with the funding estimates in the RRG report as well as for an element of capital renewal on the lesser-used lines represented by Option 2 of the RRG report.
The Department undertook further work through the auspices of an Inter-Agency Steering Group which looked at a wide range of options for the future provision of rail services. As a result the Department have provided investment in 2008/09 and over the next two years of £137m. This will go toward the acquisition of the 20 new trains. Work has commenced on a track life extension project on the rail line between Ballymena and Coleraine and planning will begin on a complete relay of the track between Coleraine and Derry. A new railway station at Newry is being constructed and it is hoped will be complete late in 2009.
Heritage and Tourist Railways
Heritage and Tourist Railways in Northern Ireland are privately owned and run. They do not provide passenger services for the travelling public and are not funded by the Department. They are however a valuable tourist and heritage amenity.
All railway operators in Northern Ireland including light and heritage railways are required to comply with all new regulations introduced by the Department to further improve railway safety. In some circumstances heritage railways operating on their own tracks and at a line speed that does not exceed 25mph may be exempted from some of the more onerous regulations where the Department is satisfied that the safety of passengers and the general public is not compromised.
The Department has responsibility for the licensing of all light railways including heritage railways operating in Northern Ireland in exercise of the powers conferred on it under section 27 of the Regulation of Railways Act 1868.
The following privately owned light and heritage railways operators across Northern Ireland. Of these railways The Railway Preservation Society of Ireland (RPSI) is the only heritage operator that currently has excess to the main line network for special excursion trips. These excursions including cross-border trips are organised through special arrangements entered into by RPSI, Translink in Northern Ireland and Ianrod Eireann in the Republic of Ireland.
- Railway Preservation Society of Ireland
- Ulster Folk & Transport Museum
- Downpatrick & County Down Railway
- Giant's Causeway & Bushmills Railway Company
- Peatlands Park Railway
- Belfast & Co Down Miniature Railway Society
- Delamont Minature Railway Society
- North West of Ireland Railway Society
Other related heritage railway sites:
